Endings: -gue and -que; sc spelling for /s/

Year group: 3/4
Source: DfE, English Appendix 1: Spelling, National Curriculum for England (2013) — Years 3–4, Other spellings
Curriculum requirement: Statutory Purpose: Years 3–4 guide to words ending in -gue, -que and beginning with sc- — French and Latin borrowings with statutory examples and practice.

Rule A: -gue and -que

Words ending in -gue (pronounced /g/) and -que (pronounced /k/) come from French. In French, the ue after g and q is silent — it exists to show that the g or q is "hard" (makes its own consonant sound, not softened by the following vowel).

league — the ue is silent; we hear /liːg/
antique — the ue is silent; we hear /ænˈtiːk/

-gue words (/g/ sound at end):

-que words (/k/ sound at end):

Etymology note: Both endings came into English from French after 1066. In French, qu is always pronounced /k/ (French que = English "that"). The silent ue is not redundant — it tells the reader: the preceding consonant is hard, not softened by what follows.

Rule B: sc spelling for the /s/ sound

In some words, sc makes the /s/ sound (not the usual /sk/ of scat or scoop). This happens when sc is followed by e or i — the e or i softens both the s and the c into a single /s/ sound.

The rule in plain English: When sc is followed by e or i, it makes the /s/ sound. When sc is followed by any other letter, it makes the /sk/ sound (scar, scout, scoop, school — exception: Greek ch = /k/).

Etymology note: This pattern comes from the same logic as the soft c rule (taught in Y2): c is softened to /s/ when followed by e, i, or y. In sc, both letters experience this softening together, giving a single /s/ rather than /sk/.

Common mistakes

Word sort activity — Part A: -gue and -que

Sort these words by their ending.

Words: league · antique · tongue · unique · vague · technique · dialogue · plague · opaque · colleague · fatigue · grotesque

Word sort activity — Part B: sc = /s/ or /sk/?

Say each word. Sort by the sound sc makes.

Words: science · scarf · scene · scoop · discipline · Scotland · fascinate · scent · scout · crescent · scissors · scramble

Dictation sentences (teacher-ready)

1. The scene was unique — nobody had ever seen anything quite like it.
2. His technique was hard to describe, somewhere between vague and inventive.
3. The science lesson used a careful discipline of observation and recording.
4. She was fascinated by the antique found during the crescent-shaped excavation.
5. The team's league standing meant they needed a new strategy to avoid fatigue.

Classroom questions

• Say league aloud. Can you hear the ue at the end? Why is it there?
• What does the ue in antique tell us about how to pronounce the q?
• Say science and scarf. The sc makes a different sound in each — why?
• What language did antique, unique, and technique come from? How can you tell?
• Tongue seems like it should be spelled tung — can you work out why it isn't?

Links to other rules

• Y2: soft c rule (c before e, i, y makes /s/) — sc before e/i follows the same logic
• Y3/4 rule 06: ch spellings from Greek and French — same story of French-origin unusual letter patterns

Source: DfE English Appendix 1: Spelling (2013). Etymology references verified against Oxford English Dictionary and standard etymological sources. All statutory word examples verified against the published statutory word lists for Years 3–4.